Man Shot Dead By Cops After Firing Pellet Gun, NYPD Says

NEW YORK CITY — A man was shot dead by police Friday night after he pulled a pellet gun on the cops and fired, according to authorities.

Plainclothes narcotic detectives were conducting an unrelated investigation in The Bronx about 7 p.m. when they overheard a fight near Hunts Point and Seneca avenues, Assistant Chief Philip Rivera said at a press briefing late Friday night.

"One of the male stated that he was going to his car to get a gun," the Bronx Borough Commander said.

The cops alerted nearby detectives, one of whom saw a man walking away from a black Ford pickup truck with what appeared to be a gun in his hand, Rivera said.

The detective, who was with a sergeant wearing an NYPD badge and vest, identified himself as a cop and told the man to stop, according to Rivera.

But the man raised his pellet gun, squeezed the trigger and shot a pellet that nearly hit one of the officers in the head, officials said.

The cops then shot off 10 rounds and hit the man five times in the chest, according to police.

The wounded man died at Lincoln Hospital and both cops were taken to an area hospital for observation, police said.

While police said they believed the man had a real firearm, authorities later learned it was an airsoft pistol, which resembles a gun but shoots nonlethal pellets.

"I will leave the exact analysis up to the lab," said Deputy Chief Timothy McCormack."For all intents and purposes, it looks like a semiautomatic firearm."

The man with the pellet gun was not immediately identified, but officers said he had 10 arrests on his record and a felony conviction for assault.